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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770559">Brighter Eyes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholemleko/pseuds/wholemleko'>wholemleko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stand Still Stay Silent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Injury, M/M, Mild Gore, Mostly from Emil, Pining, mild angst??, most of the emil/lalli stuff is implied, they're both in denial lmao</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:27:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25770559</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholemleko/pseuds/wholemleko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Emil and Lalli are off in search of a place to raid, and they come across an old department store. All seems to be going well (or so they think), or all would be going well, if not for their occasional bickering. However, they're quick to find that's the lesser of their problems.</p><p>----</p><p>In which Emil is lowkey a mess and Lalli doesn't know how to deal with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lalli Hotakainen/Emil Västerström</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Brighter Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic for SSSS, I hope you all enjoy this short story of Emil and Lalli being the confused disasters that they are.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The sun blazed down in the summer sky, a perfect day to explore and raid some sorry old gas station or the like. Or it was almost perfect, but Emil was finding the humidity to be quite unpleasant, the air thick with moisture and his golden hair frizzing and sticking to the back of his neck. He fussed with it frustratedly, receiving a judgemental glance from Lalli, who strode along at his side, his steps careful and quiet. Seeing his gentle movements, Emil felt a sudden twinge of self-consciousness, becoming uncomfortably aware of his own movements, how his steps hit the road heavily and gracelessly, how his flesh shifted beneath his clothes.</p><p class="p1">Emil geared his focus on the road ahead, on the splits in the pavement where tall grass and small shrubs and wildflowers had emerged. The ruins of shops and small business lined the sides, but there was no danger—for as far as could be seen, most if not all of the buildings' roofs had collapsed, and the bright sun washed everything with its rays. A pleasant stillness filled the air, and the only sounds aside from their steps were the soft hum of crickets and the distant chirping of a bird.</p><p class="p1">Peaceful as it may have been, everything being collapsed meant that it may also prove a challenge to find anything worth taking back to the camp.</p><p class="p1">Or so Emil thought, until his gaze drifted over to a dilapidated gas station. His eyes went wide and he felt a burst of excitement.</p><p class="p1">"Hey, let's check that place out," he said, pointing towards the old lot, particularly at the propane storage cage that stood by the side of the building.</p><p class="p1">Lalli simply nodded in response. Even now, he still wasn't one for many words, even though they had taught one another a great deal of each others' languages. Emil was glad at least, that when Lalli did speak, he could understand him. The excitement of knowing he could finally understand some of Lalli's words was nearly as great as the excitement of what could be done with a propane tank.</p><p class="p1">Emil was quick to reach the gas station, jogging over to the propane cage. The metal doors were coated in decades' worth of rust, and the chain and padlock even more so. The chain links had practically been fused together at this point, brittle and crumbling. Emil glanced about him, spotting a brick near the edge of the pavement. He took it up and begun striking at the lock and chain as Lalli strode over, a bored look on his cat-like features. Emil paused his hammering and watched Lalli for a moment as Lalli seemed to zone out, staring at some unknown point in the bright sky. Emil felt a small smile cross his lips and he turned back to the chain, hammering again, and the crusty metal fell apart and clattered to the ground. Emil latched his hands around the equally crusty handle of the door, tugging, and it produced a truly awful screech as the hinges struggled to open. He glanced at Lalli again, who still seemed much too fixated on whatever it was that he was looking at to notice or help Emil in his present task. Oh well. Emil wrenched the door open just enough to take out one of the tanks and gave it a final kick with his heel for good measure. The propane tanks were fairly rusted as well, and Emil was thankful for his gloves as he took one of the cylindrical tanks, orange powder dusting his fingertips.</p><p class="p1">Lalli finally turned his gaze away from the sky and back to Emil, and immediately rolled his eyes at the sight of the tank, but Emil couldn't help but notice the timid hint of a smile that pulled at the corners of Lalli's lips.</p><p class="p1">"I saw a big store down the road," Lalli remarked, eyes meeting Emil's for a moment, before flitting away. "We could look there for something."</p><p class="p1">"Seems like our best luck so far," Emil responded. "Or second best." He gave the propane tank a good pat.</p><p class="p1">They returned to the road and continued along towards a broad, rather flat building near to where the road reached an intersection. This time, Lalli was the one to hurry ahead, pushing through an overgrown hedge into the parking lot. Emil's speed was somewhat impeded from carrying the tank, and he awkwardly clambered after him, glancing over his shoulder as he tried to navigate the shrubbery barrier. He was certain there were sticks in his hair when he emerged from it at last.</p><p class="p1">A single car stood in the parking lot not too far from the store entrance, the tires long since deflated, the rubber disintegrating and melting into the pavement. Only small, jagged bits of glass remained stuck to the window frames. As he passed it, Emil stole a glance into one of these open windows and reeled back in disgust at the sight of the mildew coated seats and the layer of half-decomposed leaves and mud pooling in all the cup holders and the floor. He turned back to Lalli to see yet another annoyed glare.</p><p class="p1">The pair made their way to the front of the department store, standing in front of the large windows that had mostly been broken, their glass littering the ground around them. The inside of the store was not in the best of conditions either, but it was not nearly as collapsed as the previous buildings along the road. Trashed with broken ceiling tiles, dead leaves and other random objects though it may have been, the floors seemed clear enough to walk on easily, and most of the shelves appeared in tact from where Emil and Lalli peered in.</p><p class="p1">"Seems clear..." Lalli said quietly and skipped towards the main doors, which too had been shattered and were reduced to their metal frames. Emil followed closely as made their way inside, stepping carefully over the rubble and mess. The paths by the cash registers had been barred up with metal barriers which were easily climbed over, and it was just after these that Emil placed the propane tank on the ground. He gave Lalli a nod and they got to exploring the store contents.</p><p class="p1">They began by traversing the main aisle that cut down the middle of the store, passing old metal carts that had once contained random household items, some with "clearance" signs still hanging feebly above them, dangling from the ceiling on sad metal cords. The shelves around them were made of rather flimsy-looking metal racks, teetering on rubber-capped legs.</p><p class="p1">Emil stole small glances in Lalli's direction every now and again, studying his fellow's face—especially the vacant, tired yet focused look in his glassy eyes. He couldn't help but be reminded of pearls—how his irises shone pale even in the diffused light, and how they seemed to flicker between different colors in different levels of shade.</p><p class="p1">Up ahead, at the back wall of the store, were a pair of wide, dark doors that must have led to the store's warehouse. They each had a small square window near the top, a mesh of wire imbedded in the cracked glass. Lalli and Emil peered inside, one at each window—Emil found it was much too dark to see a thing, and it seemed Lalli had the same results, and neither seemed about to shine a light in.</p><p class="p1">"What do you think?" Emil asked.</p><p class="p1">"Probably fine. Your hammering earlier would have woken anything if there were really something here," Lalli huffed, and Emil was about ready to retort the statement, but decided against it.</p><p class="p1">"Let's go," Lalli continued simply, grabbing Emil by the wrist and tugging him somewhat roughly along.</p><p class="p1">Emil found himself somewhat shocked and unsure how to respond to the gesture. He resorted to staring at Lalli's hand as Lalli practically dragged him into one of the smaller aisles branching from the main one. For a brief moment Emil wondered what Lalli's hands must have looked like that close—for now they were concealed by his gloves. Were they rough from years of being a scout? Were there any scars? Emil had never really looked at them before like so.</p><p class="p1">Emil stumbled as he nearly tripped on a tile that had fallen from the ceiling, breaking him out of his daydream. He felt his face flush at the realization of the contents of his thoughts, because why would he ever think such a strange thing anyway? Finally taking in his surroundings, his eyes suddenly fixed on a small furniture display, particularly on an embroidered rug that lay on a stack of other rugs, covered in a pale layer of plaster chips and dust.</p><p class="p1">A heavy, somber feeling rose in Emil's chest. The rug looked awfully familiar—nearly identical to one he had had in his room many years ago. He quickly turned his gaze away from it, but already a gnawing feeling of hollowness mixed with terror and rage began to bubble up inside of him, and he could feel old thoughts creeping back into the corners of his mind. Thoughts which he hoped he had long since gotten rid of, which he had buried away. And they would stay buried that way. Emil locked his eyes once more on Lalli's hand, returning instead to the so-called embarrassing daydream from before, shoving the unsettled feeling back out of his attention to be buried again, where it belonged.</p><p class="p1">Lalli paused and Emil nearly walked into his back, but caught himself just in time. Lalli was pointing to a large cardboard box that sat on a rolling platform, as though it had been just about to be unpacked to restock some shelf, but was abandoned last minute.</p><p class="p1">Emil looked up at the shelves around them. They were for the most part empty, save for a couple of cans of preserved food.</p><p class="p1">"Uhh, sure, I guess," Emil responded to Lalli's gesture, figuring he meant to look through the box.</p><p class="p1">Lalli pulled out his dagger and began cutting away at the tape, which had grown hard and brittle with time, flaking into thin shards as the blade glided across the box lid flaps. Emil pulled open the lid as Lalli tucked away his blade. As expected, the box was full of cans of preserved food.</p><p class="p1">"I don't wanna know what kind of sludge has been marinating in these," Emil said as he held up one of the cans, examining the label—the expiration date being, as expected, decades old.</p><p class="p1">"Mikkel said it'll just lose nutrition. We can still eat it," Lalli replied, shoving cans of peas into the bag that was slung over his shoulder. "Just get vegetables. No meat."</p><p class="p1">"Okay then..." Emil responded, grimacing as he examined another can, wondering what sort of unholy abomination Mikkel might cook with it.</p><p class="p1">"You keep looking here, I'll look for more things," Lalli said at last, standing straight and turning to continue down the aisle. At the end of it there was a large window, providing a view over to a neighboring building, beside which a flock of birds took off from a tree. Emil watched as Lalli paused, gazing outside, seemingly zoning out again.</p><p class="p1">For a moment, all was still. The tall window seemed to frame Lalli's lithe figure perfectly, the bright sun pouring over them turning Lalli into a dark silhouette. Emil's gaze traced the edges of Lalli's thin, pointed fingers, and drifted up to the frame of his narrow shoulders, the sharp edge of his jaw just barely visible through the jagged ends of his hair. He wondered what Lalli's expression was in this moment. Probably another one of his annoyed frowns. But Emil wished to see it nonetheless, at least to see how the sun reflected in his eyes, but all he could see was the shadow of his back.</p><p class="p1">Emil caught himself staring as Lalli shifted, and he quickly returned to digging through the box, feeling his face flush with embarrassment once more. What had gotten into to him?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">❖ ❖ ❖</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Lalli watched in mild amusing as Emil fumbled with a can, knowing Emil was trying to make himself look busy, but Lalli had caught the short instance when Emil had been looking his way, and now Emil's face was quite as red as the tomatoes printed on the can he held. Lalli hated to admit it, but he couldn't help but feel a slight fondness in that moment. But he quickly turned away again, hurrying along past the different aisles, scanning the shelves for anything else they might find useful. More flashlights, perhaps, or maybe some spare rope.</p><p class="p1">He heard the pattering behind him as Emil jogged to catch up.</p><p class="p1">"I said to keep looking," Lalli said, but Emil shrugged.</p><p class="p1">"Most of the stuff in there didn't seem good for taking, I'd rather follow you for now."</p><p class="p1">"Scared?" Lalli asked, sending Emil a teasing glance.</p><p class="p1">"Of course not," Emil gave Lalli a light shove. "Why should I be? I've been in plenty of places like this. I protected you for days on end in the terrible wilderness!"</p><p class="p1">"Good point."</p><p class="p1">"Ha! I win," Emil said with a triumphant grin, picking up his pace just enough to be slightly ahead of Lalli. "I mean, it was never so scary out here to begin with but it just got easier with time. I got all the training I needed to protect myself before I started working with you guys, and you know? And I'm a pretty good shot if I do say so myself," Emil gave Lalli a smug look, leaning an elbow against a nearby metal rack as if to pose. He only realized too late his mistake—as one of the rack's rusted legs gave way beneath his weight.</p><p class="p1">A dreadful explosion of crashing filled the air as dozens of jars of ancient pickles cascaded to the floor. Before Lalli could fully process what had happened, he felt Emil's arms wrap around him in a suffocating grip and the two went stumbling. Lalli quickly grounded himself and wrenched out of Emil's grip, shoving off his chest.</p><p class="p1">"What the hell?" Lalli hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Emil's face, which was flushed yet again, "Your stupid fumbling ass is going to wake every infected in this damned town!"</p><p class="p1">Emil responded with a stream of awkward muttering that Lalli couldn't quite catch, his furious blushing not fading for one instant of it. Lalli gave him the best look of utter disappointment he could muster until Emil's voice trailed off and Emil turned away, shoulders slightly hunched, any hints of his usual over-confidence utterly extinguished.</p><p class="p1">"Pfff— got so spooked by some jars you decided to pounce on me, huh?" Lalli remarked, not expecting Emil to respond, so he continued down the aisle, absentmindedly studying the contents of the shelves. He stole a glance behind him, but Emil was gone, seemingly off to do his own searching.</p><p class="p1">Pieces of broken glass crunched beneath Lalli's boots as he went, his eyes glancing over the rows of old, decomposing bottles of sauce. The feeling of Emil's arms around him lingered in his mind, and the warmth from his body lingered on Lalli's skin, and it reminded him of that time a year ago when they'd been in that train together, when a giant had broken in. Emil had clung to him in the same way then. And as rough as Emil seemed to hope the others would think of him as being, he was in fact quite soft, Lalli thought; and he was reminded of his own sharp edges—how his hip bones pressed against his skin, how his clothes often hung from his shoulders like a sheet on a mannequin. He was practically skin and bone.</p><p class="p1">Lalli shook away the thoughts, focusing his eyes back on the items in the shelves. He had wandered into another aisle now, what might have been an aisle for cleaning supplies, judging by the handful of disinfectant bottles on one of the racks, but the rest was entirely empty. Lalli grabbed one of the bottles for good measure, shoving it into his bag. He rounded the corner and spotted Emil a little ways away, seemingly examining what had once been a display of cheap furniture. Lalli jogged over to him, stopping at his side.</p><p class="p1">Emil's eyes were fixated on a small, elaborately patterned rug that surprisingly wasn't in the worst condition considering the near century it had spent here. Lalli felt a foul feeling rising in his chest as he watched Emil in silence. Was he, in all genuineness, considering taking this with them? Something so utterly useless, that would serve nothing but his fantasy that he was ever some respectable aristocrat.</p><p class="p1">Lalli gave Emil's shoulder a light slap, to which Emil finally turned to him. His eyes refocused, as though they had been blank just a moment ago. "What's with you gawking at that worthless thing?" Lalli pointed angrily at the rug.</p><p class="p1">Emil shrugged, glancing away. It seemed even his frantic demeanor from earlier had faded and had been replaced with something a great deal more solemn, but Lalli could care less for it, for truly, it grated against his nerves how the rich often thought, how they indulged, how they acted as if the smallest problems were worth so much when they'd barely worked a day in their lives. What gave Emil the right to look so overcast over a rug?</p><p class="p1">Lalli huffed, turning away. "Did you find anything?" He asked, tapping his bag.</p><p class="p1">"No..." Emil responded, and he made his way past Lalli and away from the furniture, back towards the rows of shelves. "What's your deal, I try to be nice and you're angry with me, then for a moment I'm not chipper and you're still angry."</p><p class="p1">Lalli tensed, surprised by Emil's sudden hostility, which honestly felt a great deal uncalled for. He mulled over the words for a moment, piecing together what he understood. "You haven't given me much reason to feel otherwise," he replied at last, following Emil as they made their way into an aisle full of old stationary.</p><p class="p1">Another pause as Emil thought. "Then what do you want? You're my friend, or I hope you are, and I don't know what you..." he trailed off, voice tapering and Lalli felt a twinge of guilt, which he quickly pushed away. It was silly that Emil should be so upset over something as trivial as a friendship, but what else could be expected of someone who had always gotten what they wanted served to them on a silver platter?</p><p class="p1">And if Lalli had to be honest, he wasn't sure how to respond. And so he remained silent. But perhaps that was a mistake. He could feel the tension in the air rising—he knew Emil wanted to hear something at least.</p><p class="p1">Suddenly, Emil, rounded on him. "You think you're all that, don't you? Like you're above everyone, because you know things we don't, cause you've seen what I haven't!" Lalli felt an old yet familiar terror race up his spine and he found himself frozen in place, a coldness filling up his lungs. "Just so you know, just because I grew up with a big house doesn't mean that everything was perfect! Stop acting like you're so mysterious when <em>you</em> hardly even know <em>me</em>!"</p><p class="p1">With that, Emil stormed off, disappearing around the corner.</p><p class="p1">Lalli took a deep breath. He desperately wanted to call out, to say something in response, but it felt as though his throat had been fused shut, not allowing even a hint of voice to escape. He took another deep breath, forcing himself to move. He stiffly grabbed the edge of a nearby shelf, fingers gripping the metal until his knuckles had surely turned bone-white as he tried to settle his swarming, tangled mind. A caustic rage bubbled in his chest as he thought over Emil's words. How dare he? Lalli turned around and made his way back towards the main aisle, seething as he went.</p><p class="p1"><em>This pampered fool knows nothing of real suffering, </em>Lalli thought with a cold, simmering disgust.</p><p class="p1">A loud crash interrupted Lalli from his thoughts and his gaze immediately locked on the jammed back door. The next moment, a low, sloshing, gliding sound could be heard in the walls, above them in the ceiling, like a great heap of raw meat being dragged across rotten wood.</p><p class="p1">Lalli felt his heartbeat soar in his chest like a hundred birds bursting from a tree and he broke into a run, his nimble, light steps nearly inaudible. He glanced back and forth between the two rows of shelves on his sides, eyes fixated on finding Emil.</p><p class="p1">A bang resounded, echoing through the large expanse of the store. Lalli froze, trying to pinpoint where it had come from, and in his confused state he nearly missed the writhing mass that had begun crawling down through a tile in the ceiling several aisles ahead. The next moment, a cascade of spice jars spilled out from the aisle and several more bangs resounded before Emil leapt, quite gracelessly, into the open, landing in a messy tumble but quickly recovering and pointing his weapon into the aisle at some unseen adversary.</p><p class="p1">Several more shots echoed, and Lalli felt a sudden splitting feeling in his head, as though his mind had been cracked open. The next moment, the inside of his head seemed to fill with a chorus of dozens of sharp, twisted voices crying out in pain.</p><p class="p1">"Come on!" Emil shouted, grabbing Lalli by the arm and pulling him past the aisle where a small but long giant was spilling down through the gap above.</p><p class="p1">From the brief glance he stole, Lalli could see its surface, how it churned with the twisted faces of what had once been people.</p><p class="p1">The pair broke into a run down the main aisle, but the giant was quick behind them, propelled by hundreds of centipede-like legs.</p><p class="p1">"Look out!" Lalli shouted, suddenly shoving Emil to the side into one of the smaller aisles as the giant lunged forward, jaws crashing against the floor where they'd just been standing.</p><p class="p1">Heart hammering and mind racing, Lalli tumbled but Emil pulled him up and they broke into a run once more. Lalli frantically searched their surroundings for something, anything with which to slow the giant down. They reached the end of the aisle, now by the wall of the store. The giant's footsteps could be heard showering the ground behind them, its pointed limbs driving holes into the floor.</p><p class="p1">They veered the corner and continued now towards the line of cash registers up ahead. Lalli was suddenly pulled once more into one of the small aisles and he nearly slammed into one of the racks from his momentum.</p><p class="p1">"Quick!" Emil panted, "Help me push over these racks!"</p><p class="p1">Without a word Lalli and Emil both rammed against one of the more empty racks. At first it didn't budge, but then it jolted as one of the legs gave way, followed by a second, and the rack began to tip. It slammed against the next beyond it, and then the next, and so they crashed down, showering the ground with whatever remained on their shelves. The fourth rack slammed down on the giant's back, pinning it in place. It had nearly reached the aisle where Emil and Lalli had turned.</p><p class="p1">The two ran back out into the side aisle and back towards the cash registers and the entrance out. Lalli looked back as Emil slowed for a moment to fire more shots towards the giant for good measure.</p><p class="p1"><em>IT HURTS! IT HURTS! </em>The chorus of voices resounded in Lalli's head. It felt as though rusty gears were grinding against the inside of his skull, but it was a feeling he'd long since learned to ignore. He allowed one final glance back at the creature's frothing mouth, seeing the small skull of what must have once been a young child. It continued to shriek and scream as Emil showered its mouth with bullets, shattering one of the skull's tiny eye sockets. But Lalli couldn't think of those things, not now, not ever, and he turned forward again, breaking into a final sprint as they neared the cash registers. The shrieking continued and if he were any less experienced, Lalli knew he would have pitied that sound, so vivid and clear, as though still a person. His heart was pounding so loudly now, he could barely hear the sounds of Emil's footsteps behind him.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>HELP! HELP ME!</em>
</p><p class="p1">The screams were awfully human, even more so than before, and Lalli forced his thoughts away, forced them ahead. He was nearly at the metal barrier blocking the path into the store, readying himself to leap over it, when a scream resounded once more, singular, standing out from the scrambled mass of other screams.</p><p class="p1">
  <em>LALLI, HELP ME!</em>
</p><p class="p1">Alarm shot up the back of Lalli's neck and he spun back to face the rows of collapsed shelves. Emil was on the ground, twisted back and firing at the giant's face in desperation—one of its long, spear-like limbs had impaled his lower leg to the ground, pinning him down.</p><p class="p1">Without another thought, Lalli sprinted back, whipping out his dagger in a flash. He skidded on the laminated floor just before the giant's head, slashing off the small skull with one swipe, revealing the foul muscle tinted pink with blood surrounding the gaping throat. The giant let out a horrid, ear piercing cry, its body writhing, pushing the collapsed racks as it continued to struggle beneath them. A sharp leg came down, and Lalli dodged just as the pointed end rammed into the floor, splitting the tile open. Lalli slashed again, severing the leg and taking a second with it. The creature shrieked again, and Lalli took the brief moment to cut away the end of the limb that had pinned Emil down. Emil shuddered and suppressed a shout. Lalli couldn't fully remove it—they'd need Mikkel for that. The most Lalli could do now was help Emil get out, and fast.</p><p class="p1">He hoisted Emil to his feet and they stumbled for a moment, Emil hissing, and Lalli pulled Emil's arm over his shoulders to support him.</p><p class="p1">Their escape was much more awkward now and Lalli's mind was on the verge of entering a flurry of panic. They weren't moving fast enough, they kept stumbling, Emil was limping and the giant was scrambling behind them. It was so close to tugging itself free.</p><p class="p1">At last they reached the cash registers, and as Lalli helped Emil over the barrier, he couldn't tell if it was Emil's or his own hands that were shaking. He was about ready to continue, placing Emil's arm over his shoulders once more, when Emil stood in place.</p><p class="p1">"What—?"</p><p class="p1">But before Lalli could ask further, Emil's arm swooped up and forward in an arc and a small, dark object went flying towards the place where the propane tank had been left.</p><p class="p1">"<em>RUN!</em>" Emil cried out and the pair rushed through the doors with a new burst of speed.</p><p class="p1">They had barely made it behind the lone car in the lot when the sound of an explosion resounded from the store, followed immediately by a second, deeper explosion as the inside of the store bloomed with a great mass of flame. A gust of hot air swept across the lot.</p><p class="p1">Lalli and Emil sat side by side against the side of the collapsed car, panting heavily. Lalli stared up at the sky. Heavy clouds had begun to drift across it, propelled by a sharp wind. A storm must be coming. Of the sky that was visible, it had grown darker and greyish, the sun not too far from setting now. The world would soon be swallowed by dusk.</p><p class="p1">Lalli turned to look at Emil. His eyes were shut and his head tilted against the car, his leg twisted to the side to avoid pressing the remaining bit of the giant's limb against the ground. His uniform was torn and the white fabric soaked an awful red. But despite this, they'd have to continue again, and quickly. Who knows what that explosion might have alerted. Lalli sat up and prodded Emil's shoulder.</p><p class="p1">Emil's eyes cracked open and he looked thoroughly exhausted. He looked to Lalli's hand on his shoulder and his eyes seemed to brighten just the slightest bit before he took Lalli's hand in his own, and stood shakily. He put his arm over Lalli's shoulders and they began back towards the road. At last, Lalli's heartbeat was beginning to slow again. He turned a bit to look back at the building and Emil followed suite.</p><p class="p1">They stood in still silence for a moment, the weight of Emil's arm pressing heavily over Lalli's shoulders. Lalli watched in awe as the bright, golden flames climbed and lapped at the walls of the store, roaring, engulfing all other sights for a moment, save for the edge of Emil's silhouette in the corner of his eye, dark in the shade and lined with the fire's glow. Lalli stole a glance at Emil's face—his lips were slightly parted as he panted from exhaustion and pain, and his soft features were outlined with sharp shadows. The flames were reflected in his eyes, round with a bright fury that Lalli felt he couldn't quite understand. His own fury had always been heavy and dark, like a storm on the verge of bursting.</p><p class="p1">"Let's go," Emil said at last, his voice a quiet wisp against the raging, crackling fire, "before it gets too dark."</p><p class="p1">Lalli silently turned, leading as the two began back on their way down the road towards their camp, slow enough that Emil might be able to keep up and not overexert himself. Only then did Lalli realize how tightly his hand was gripping Emil's wrist, and how tightly his other arm had wrapped itself around Emil's back.</p><p class="p1">Lalli felt a lump of guilt burning in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it away.</p>
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